Means for protecting valve handles



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. M. SCHUTTER ETAL MEANS FOR PROTECTING VALVE HANDLES/0 /8 20 Egg-1' July 3, 1962 Filed June 5. 1959 a mflmwm v /iw w /faJuly 3, 1962 G. M. SCHUTTER ETAL 3,042,069

MEANS FOR PROTECTING VALVE HANDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 3, 1959This invention relates to valves and is particularly concerned with theprovision of means for protecting valve handles from damage ordislodgment during periods of non-use. This application is acontinuation-in-part of the application of George M. Schutter and RobertG. Young, Jr., Serial No. 368,548, filed July 17, 1953, allowed December8, 1958 and forfeited June 8, 1959, which application was acontinuation-impart of the application of George M. Schutter and RobertG. Young, Jr., Serial No. 265,815, filed January 10, 1952, nowabandoned. The valves disclosed in the aforesaid applications are usedprincipally in the delivery of liquid fuels such as fuel oil orgasoline, but they may be used, if desired, in the delivery of otherliquids. 'I'hese valves differ from conventional fuel delivery valves inthat the handles which control the operation of the valve are on the topside of the valve body opposite the discharge opening as distinguishedfrom conventional type valves in which there is a lever on the underside between the discharge port and the body protected by a hand guard.

It is not unusual for a fuel delivery man to drag the fuel hose and itsassociated valve across the ground prior connecting up with the tankfill pipe for delivery and thereafter as the hose is being reeled up onthe truck. It is obvious that with valves of the type disclosed hereinin which the operating handles are on the top of the valve body there isconsiderable likelihood of the handle being moved to open positionshould the valve be dragged along the ground. This problem is notpresent with conventional valves in which the valve handle is inherentlyprotected by virtue of its location and by the hand guard.

Since the valve stem used in controlling the valves with which thepresent invention is used is of the type which is either drawn axiallyfrom the body or is rotated about its longitudinal axis or is moved bothlongitudinally and rotationally, it is apparent that the inclusion of aguard rail over the handle would render operation of the valvedifficult. However, the valve handle must be protected in some way, andit is toward the solving of this problem that the present application isdirected.

In general, it may be stated that the protection of the valve handle isachieved through the cooperation of a latching mechanism which functionsto hold the valve handle in closed position and protective raisedportions extending upwardly from the valve body adjacent the handle inits closed position. These raised portions of the valve body are of suchheight that all parts of the handle will be within lines runningtherebetween. Thus if the valve should become inverted as it is draggedalong the ground, the raised portions would engage the ground,protecting the handle and thus substantially eliminating the possibilityof accidental opening of the valve.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent asthe description proceeds with the aid the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of one type of valve incorporating theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section showing the invention used with a valvegenerally of the type shown in FIG. 1 but actuated by a different typeof handle.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the invention used with still anothertype of valve in which there is a different type of handle latchingmeans.

ttes Patent FIG. 4 is a vertical section of a so-oalled ball type valveshowing the invention used therewith.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 correspond to FIGS. 1, 15 and 19 of application SerialNo. 368,548, above referred to.

Referring generally to the figures, FIG. 1 shows the invention used witha piston valve which is controlled by a pilot valve. Raising andlowering of the pilot valve causes the piston valve to becorrespondingly moved under the influences of the liquid pressure. Alatch is in corporated in the valve housing construction for holding thepiston valve in down closed position where it will be adequatelyprotected by the raised portions of the Valve body.

FIG. 2 shows the invention in use with the same type of pilot valve asin FIG. 1 but in which the operative handle is held in closed positionby forcing it under an overhanging lip which is part of one of the tworaised portions of the body that protect the handle.

FIG. 3 shows the invention in use with still another type of pistonvalve in which the handle is maintained in closed position by thecoaction of a spring pressed latch which prevents the handle fromswinging sideways and a laterally extending arm attached to the pilotvalve which cooperates with a cam track in the valve body to hold thehandle in down closed position.

FIG. 4 shows the invention used With still another type of valve. Inthis case the valve is a ball valve having a controlling stem extendingvertically upward through the housing to which is attached a handle forrotating the valve. The handle is locked in closed position by means ofa spring pressed latch.

In all of the figures it will be seen that the handle that controls thevalve has means associated therewith for maintaining it in closedposition with respect to the valve body and on opposite sides of valvehandle are raised portions integral with the valve body which extendupwardly above the valve handle to protect the handle againstdislodgment as the valve may be dragged over the ground or otherwisemishandled.

A detailed description of the invention will now be given. In FIG. 1 thevalve body 2 is connected in any convenient or conventional way with asupply hose 4. The valve 6 disclosed in FIG. 1 is a so-called pistonvalve. The actuation of this valve is controlled by a pilot valve 8which may be moved up or down as the operator may grasp and pull or pushon a finger gripping button 10. Piston valve 6 has a small bleed port 7through its wall through which fluid under pressure from supply hose 4may enter the chamber 9 to force piston valve 6 downwardly into theadpater 13, where it is in sealed position by virtue of the O-ring 15.Fluid is prevented from escaping from chamber 9 past the pilot valve 8by the 0- ring 17. When the pilot valve 8 is raised by the operator uponrelease of the latch plate 11 from the groove 12 in the finger grippingbutton 10, the transverse port 19 connecting with a vertical centralpassage 21 in the pilot valve 8 permits discharge of fluid in chamber 9to the spout 23, with an immediate drop in pressure. As a result, thepressure of fluid from the supply hose 4, acting upwardly on the annularsurface 25, is greater than the downward pressure of the fluid remainingin chamber 9. This causes piston valve 6 to move upwardly until suchtime as the O-ring 17 passes above the port 19 to shut off furtherescape of fluid from chamber 9. When this occurs, fluid under pressurefrom supply hose 4 enters through the bleed port 7 to reestablishpressure in charm.

ber 9 to stop the upward movement of piston valve 6. Piston valve 6 thuscan be made to assume any degree of open position, which will bedetermined by the vertical location of the port 19 in pilot valve 8.

From this explanation, it can be seen that the further upward pilotvalve 8 is moved the more the piston valve 6 will rise, with acorresponding increase in the discharge of fluid. It might be mentionedthat the eifective under side of piston valve 6 is at the dotted line27. The part numbered 29 is one of four radially extending vertical finswhich act as means for guiding the lower end of the piston valve withrespect to the adaptor 13.

When the pilot valve is in maximum down position, with the fingergripping button latched by the plate 11, the spring 31 will becompressed by the washer 33 fixed to the pilot valve to exert a downwardforce on piston valve 6, thereby to hold it firmly in closed position.On the forward side of valve body 2 is a raised curved portion 14, theupper surface of which at 16 is above the upper surface of the fingergripping button 10 when latched in closed position. At the rear of thefinger gripping button is a second raised curved portion 18, the uppersurface of which as at is likewise above the upper surface of the fingergripping button 10 when the latter is in closed position. Thus it isbelieved apparent that if the valve body of FIG. 1 should be draggedalong the ground in upside down condition the raised portions 14 and 18would act to prevent damage to or dislod'gment of the finger grippingbutton 10.

In FIG. 2 the valve body 2 encloses a piston valve 6 of of the same typeas that disclosed in FIG. 1. This piston valve is controlled by a pilotvalve 8, of which the actuating handle 22 when in closed positionextends rearwardly and has its terminal end 24 looked under the end ofan overhanging lip 26. By pressing down on the end of handle 22 it willdeflect suficiently to clear lip 26 so that they may then be swunglaterally to be raised or lowered to cause desired actuation of thepiston valve.

In this construction there is, at the front end of the body, an integralraised portion 28 and at the rear of the body there is an integralraised portion 30. These two portions are of such height that when thehandle is in closed latched position it will be within the horizontaland lateral confines of the raised portions. Thus the handle isprotected in the same manner as the finger gripping button 10 isprotected in FIG. 1 should the valve body be dragged along the ground.

In FIG. 3 the valve body 2 has therein a piston valve 6 operableaccording to the principle of operation of the piston valves shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. It is controlled by a pilot valve 8 which has on itsupper end a handle 32. A spring pressed latch 34 has its lower endpositioned in a notch 36 in the upper surface of the valve body when thevalve is in closed position. The lower end of pilot valve 8 has alaterally extending arm 38 which is movable in a cam track 40 as thepilot valve may be rotated by handle 32. Thus rotation of handle 32after disengagement of latch 34 from notch 36 causes the pilot valve 8to move up as indicated in the dotted line position. When the handle 32has been swung to the solid line position shown in FIG. 3, the arm 38will be at the lowermost part of cam track 40. This will maintain thepilot valve and the piston valve in closed position. At the front end ofthe valve body is a raised portion 42 and at the rear is a raisedportion 44, the upper surfaces of which are high enough to have thehandle 32 and latch 34 confined therewithin. By this construction theoperating handle of the valve shown in FIG. 3 is protected againstdamage or dislodgment should the valve body be draggedv along the groundor otherwise mishandled.

In FIG. 4 the invention is shown in use with still another type ofvalve. Here the valve body 2 has therein a ball valve 46 which may berotated from open to closed position by means of a cooperating valvestem 48 which extends through the upper surface of the valve body. Valvestem 48 has secured thereto a handle 50 which on being swung in eitherdirection will open the valve.

a eaaeee When the valve is closed, the handle may be maintained in thiscondition by the interaction of a spring pressed latch 52 with a notch54 in a plate 56 secured to the upper surface of the valve body. At thefront end of the of the valve body is a raised portion 58 and at therear is a raised portion 60, both of which raised portions are highenough so that the valve handle and latch will be protected should thevalve body be dragged along the ground in inverted position.

From the foregoing illustrative uses of the invention it will be seenthat it is applicable to any type of valve which has a valve stemextending through the upper part of the valve body with a handle orfinger gripping means thereon which is moved outwardly away from aclosed and latched position close to the body. When in closed positionthe handle or finger gripping means is in every case protected byupwardiy extending portions which are associated with the valve body,the raised portions being of adequate height to give the protectiondeemed necessary.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the exampleof the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which donot constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A nozzle for dispensing fluid under pressure comprising a body and amovable valve therewithin, means for controlling the movement of saidvalve, said means comprising a rod extending through the said body andbeing rotatable with respect to said body between open and closedposition for said valve, an elongated handle connected perpendicular tosaid rod extending along the outer surface of said body in said closedposition and extending transverse to said body in said open position,releasable means for holding said handle in fixed relation to said body,and a pair of opposed raised POFtiOIls on said body adjacent oppositeends of said handle in said closed position and extending beyond theprofile of said handle in said closed position to protect said handlewhile permitting free access thereto.

2. A nozzle for dispensing fluid as set forth in claim 1, in which saidhandle in closed position is within the horizontal at lateral confinesof the lines between the tops of said raised portions.

3. A nozzle for dispensing fiuid as set forth in claim 1, said rod andhandle being rotatable from closed position either clockwise orcounterclockwise to open said valve.

4. A nozzle according to claim 3 in which said handle is elongated andin said closed position aligned with the body of said valve, said handlein said open position extending radially beyond the body of said valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS685,612 Jakobson Oct. 29, 1901 744,777 Martin Nov. 24, 1903 862,879Brown Aug. 13, 1907 1,539,073 Carter May 26, 1925 1,650,589 AndersonNov. 29, 1927 1,928,186 Prisk Sept. 26, 1933 1,940,797 Halvorsen Dec.26, 1933 1,981,230 Glab Nov. 20, 1934 1,988,957 Newell Jan. 22, 19352,662,546 Nelson Dec. 15, 1953 2,672,879 Downin Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 79,233 Switzerland of 1919 597,946 France Sept. 14, 1925

